Sheriff: Winter Haven man threw baby across room in fit of rage

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Polk County Sheriff's office has charged a Winter Haven man with aggravated child abuse after deputies said he threw an 11-month-old baby across a room.

Christopher Finlayson, 24, admitted to deputies that he "lost it" and in a moment of rage and frustration threw the child when he could not get the baby to stop crying, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The baby suffered a skull fracture, two broken wrists and five fractured ribs.

Finlayson admitted he had smoked a "blunt and a half" of marijuana on Wednesday and had been up the night before, deputies said.

On Thursday, the child was in Finlayson's care while his mother went to the store. When the mother returned around 7:00 p.m., the baby was unresponsive.

The mother questioned Finlayson. He told her the baby had hit its head on a play pen, deputies said.

The mother took the baby to Winter Haven Hospital, which in turn contacted the PCSO.

Finlayson told detectives he told the baby, "I'll give you something to cry about," before throwing the baby into the air toward the end of a bed, according to the Sheriff's Office. The baby hit face first on the floor. He also admitted that on previous occasions he has yelled at the baby in an attempt to "scare" the baby into being quiet.

The baby was transported to St Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.

Detectives reported Finlayson was arrested in June 2013 by Winter Haven Police for battery, criminal mischief and other charges.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.